TEAM TWO – Tech, Knuckles, Shade, Rouge, Janae, Tails

Amy face-faults. "Aww… you don't want to join me in smashing robots?"

"You-Will-Be-Missing-Out," Omega adds.

Tails looks up at you. "Yeah, I'm a bit surprised myself, Sonic. I would've thought you'd want to be part of the action team."

"It's not about the action, it's all about the mission," you reply.

Tails and Amy look at you oddly, but Knuckles fortunately interjects. "Doesn't matter who's with who. Frankly, I wouldn't mind all the help I can get. Let's just get out there already before we're too late!"

Rouge grins. "Somebody's itching for a fight."

"All right, everybody," Silver announces, "We've got our teams, and we've got our orders. Let's move out!"

Silver and Tech lead the way out of the Resistance HQ and through more corridors. After many twists and turns, everybody reaches a break-off point, with three different tunnels.

"All right, this is where we break," says Silver, and points to the tunnel behind himself. "We'll head off towards the north and make our way through."

"And we'll head towards the east, making our way towards the lab," says Tech.

"Just remember to wait for our signal," Silver replies.

"What's the signal?" asks Tails.

Omega holds out his arm, morphing it into gun-mode. "The-Loud-Explosions."

Silver scratches his head. "More or less."

"We'll keep an ear out," says Tech, and heads into the right tunnel, "Let's go team."

The rest of you follow. Tech activates a holomap on his wrist watch as he leads on. "Keep quiet, everyone," he orders, "There's a lot of security based around here. We don't want to end up attracting unwanted attention."

As you follow the red-furred wolf, Tails begins to slow up. When he passes you, he takes hold of your arm and gently pulls you back, until you are both facing everybody's backsides. "Tails, what's up?" you ask quietly.

"Be honest, Sonic," Tails says to you, just loud enough for only you to hear and not the others, "Why are you really with us? Not that I mind working with you, I am your sidekick after all… But let's be real; between making lots of noise by smashing robots, and sneaking around for a retcon mission, I would've figured you'd go for the former."

"Normally I would," you reply, making sure to keep your own voice low, "But after what I heard in that meeting… I don't know Janae all that well, but I know she's a hothead who's full of herself. And Tech said it himself; she WOULD be likely to join the team with the most action. So it wouldn't make much sense for her to be on your guys' team as well."

"So your reasons are similar to hers?"

"Can't say for sure what her reasons are," you say, "But I just want to make sure she doesn't do something that'll make things worse. Especially since she's gung-ho about taking down Eggman Nega."

The bulb appears to switch on in Tails' brain. "And this is the team that'll get the closest to him!"

You nod. "I run on instincts myself, but not so much to put the mission OR the team in danger. I'm here to make sure Janae doesn't do just that."

"I'd say you could've left that to us," Tails replies, "But Knuckles is already focused on getting the Master Emerald back, plus Shade and Rouge are intent on helping him… whatever their own reasons are. Tech and I will definitely be working together. So maybe it's a good thing you are here."

The group comes to a halt, by a ladder that leads to a hatch overhead. "This leads to an alleyway, just behind the lab," says Tech, "Once we're outside, we'll lay low until we get the signal to move in."

"Did we ever hear what the signal was?" Shade asks.

"A lot of explosions," Janae simply responds.

Knuckles shrugs. "Good enough, I suppose."

You all make your way up the ladder. After careful inspection, Tech gives the all clear and you all climb up above ground in an alley. You stay low, and Tech leads the way down the alley to a metallic fence. On the other end was a large building with blacked out windows and tall smoke pipes. You assume that's the lab.

"Can we climb the fence?" asks Knuckles.

Tech shakes his head. "Electrified," he replies, "I have to divert the signal of the currents to cut a hole first. But I don't want to take any action until Silver and his team make the first move."

"So we just sit here and twiddle our thumbs," Janae grumbles, "Perfect…"

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves," Tech mutters, "We have to all work together."

"Yeah, yeah, teamwork and all that jazz," Janae groans.

Right then and there, explosions break out. The sounds of metal clattering against the ground ring through the air. There is clear exchange of gunfire and laser blasts, as well as more booming explosions.

"That has to be the cue!" Janae shouts, "Let's move in!"

Tech holds up his hand. "Not yet. Wait until they clear out."

"Do you people NOT want to beat Nega?!" she seethes.

"Be patient!" Tech seethes back.

Janae shakes her fists impatiently. You keep a close eye on her.

"Scatter!" you hear Silver's voice shout out. After a moment, you hear a horde of robots charge one direction, and another go the opposite way.

Janae eyes Tech, and he finally nods. He holds out his watch and presses a few buttons. A small section of the fence seems to suddenly dull down. You had no idea the fence was even illuminated. Had Tech not told you otherwise, you would never have known it was electrocuted to begin with.

Tech then pulls out a small but long knife and quickly cuts a line down through the fence. He peels it back, allowing an opening just big enough for everyone to crawl through. Once the last person is through, he climbs through himself and quickly pushes the fence piece back in place. Soon enough, it lightly illuminates back up. The wolf nods. "Nega will never know it was breached."

"Now we just take out what's left and break in the lab, right?" Janae grins.

"Wrong," says Tech, much to the rabbit's chagrin, "As far as Nega's concerned, we know he's here, but we can't get through the heightened security. But with most of them busy going after Team One, we can sneak through the side here, and Nega will be none the wiser."

Janae crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently. "Okay, fine, whatever, just hurry it along."

Knuckles glances over at you with a smirk. "She reminds me of a certain someone…" You snort in response.

Tech studies the holomap closely as he moves across the outer wall of the lab. "Here we go," he says as he stops and knocks on the wall, "The air vent starts right about here."

Tails comes over and examines the wall. He runs his hand down the side slowly, then upward. Vent flaps flip upward. "Wow," he says, "I would've never seen that."

"Eggman Nega knows how to cloak any type of entrance," says Tech, "But all it takes is a quick investigation to find even the easiest of ways to get in." He kneels down and pulls out an electronic screwdriver. He then quickly unlatches the ventilation trap, sets it aside, then crawls in. Tails quickly follows, then Knuckles, then Rouge, then Shade.

You turn to Janae and motion towards the open vent. "Ladies first."

Janae narrows her glare at you, but then turns and crawls through. You bring up the rear and shut the trap in place behind you.

You're all crawling your way through the vents in a line. Being behind the last one with everyone else in front of you crawling ever so slowly is driving you nuts…

"You sure you know where you're going, sweetie?" Rouge asks.

"Yup. Just keep going straight," you hear Tech just barely, "The elevator shaft is right ahead of us. Either we can ride the car up, or slide down the cables to the main lab."

"What about the Master Emerald?" Knuckles asks, "Can you tell where it's at?"

"I'm not finding any unusual activity, or even any kind of impulse."

The conga line of crawlers suddenly freeze to a halt, and you find your face almost planted into Janae's butt. She whips her head back fiercely at you, and you quickly and nervously crawl back a bit.

"What do you mean?" Knuckle snapped, being the one that had halted his crawl. "Are you even sure the Master Emerald is in this building?"

"According to the Spy Network, this building was running the most power in its grids," Tech replies, "Not to mention Nega was seen coming in here this morning. There's no doubt he's here."

"Then why can't you tell what room it's in?"

"Eggman Nega has specialty made walls that prevent electrical fields and other foreign energy from penetrating."

"Course he does," Knuckles mutters, "That might explain why I can't sense it myself…"

"Energy shielding walls?" Shade grunts, "Sounds like Nocturne technology. Eggman sure made good use of what the Marauders left behind…"

"So what do we do then?" asks Rouge, "How do we find the Master Emerald if we don't even know what room it's in?"

Tech shuffles around, trying to face everybody, despite the crowded vent. You can just barely see him over Rouge's shoulder as he brings up the holomap on his watch. "While I can't say for sure where he may be, I can estimate two rooms. He has a secret lab underground, below us. We were never able to infiltrate it before, but we assume that's where the Top Secret projects are tested, and the toughest of security. That's a good candidate place to hold the Master Emerald…

"However," he continued, "There's an experimental lab at the top, near his office. All sorts of new weapons are tested there, plus an energy syphon. Both the Chaos Emeralds AND the Master Emerald have been gone for centuries, but if anything can tap into their powers, it's the syphon."

"Then what are we sitting around here for?" Knuckles spats, "Let's get to it!"

"That's assuming the Master Emerald IS in the lab at the top," says Tech, "Team One may be the diversion team, but there's still security all over inside. We can't really afford to check out both places safely. If we're wrong, we're caught…"

"Can't we split up?" Shade suggests.

"Too risky," says Tech, "One of these places is wrong. Once security is set off, we lose our chance at getting the Master Emerald back at all."

Knuckles grits his teeth. "This would have been nice to know AHEAD of time…"

Tails rubs his chin, worriedly. He casts a glance over at you. "What room would be the best pick then..?"

"Syphons, huh?" you rub your chin, "Well, a secret underground lab sounds like fun… but I think we'll have better luck checking upstairs."

Knuckles nods his head. "I agree," he says, "If there's syphons in that room, that's a good way to drain power from the Master Emerald."

"Then it's settled," Tech announces, "We're heading up." He turns and continues crawling down the vent. "This way!"

You all follow the wolf. After a while, he stops at an empty shaft, and peeks his head through. "This is the elevator," he says, "We'll climb up this shaft, and it'll take us all the way to the lab.

"Climb..?" Janae raises an eyebrow, "You doof. Let's just ride the elevator up."

"It's too risky," Tech replies, "Someone might notice the elevator mysteriously being used…"

"No, you're just overthinking things, Techno-dweeb," Janae grunts, "Climbing up the shaft is just as risky. What if it activates anyway? We'll be crushed by the ceiling."

"I'm with Tech on this," you say, "It's better to play it safe. 'Sides, we're all in tip-top shape, right? We don't need any elevator to reach the top lab in time."

Janae scowls at you, while Tech smiles and nods. "Hope you're all good climbers," he says.

Knuckles chuckles, and pounds his fists together. "Do you even know who you're talking to here?"

"Obviously not, since you're not from this timeline," you quietly grunt to him.

Tech climbs out and lands on the elevator car below him. He points upwards with his left fist, and from his wrist gear, a grappling hook shoots out, hooking onto a ledge far above, and he is pulled upward. Shade activates a device of her own, emitting an electromagnetic field around her palms, and easily makes her way up the wall. Janae hooks her own line around the cable line of the elevator and begins to yank herself up. Knuckles uses his own namesake to scale the walls. Rouge simply flies upwards with the use of her wings. Finally, Tails takes a hold of your arm and hovers ups along with the rest.

Although it's many stories up, you all effortlessly make it to the top floor, where the experimental lab is located. Tech crawls through another nearby air vent, with all of you not far behind him. After some more crawling and exploring, Tech finally halts near a grate. He slowly opens it up. You all peer out, and are able to make out a hallway, and at the end, two metal-plated double-doors are guarded by two large Heavy-Hammers.

"There's the lab," Tech whispers, "Right behind those guards."

"How can we get through?" asks Tails.

"Simple," Janae grins, "We smash them!"

"Okay by me!" Knuckles smirks.

"Guys, come on!" Tech pleads, exasperated, "You all rely too much on the cowboy technique, just rushing in. We've got to play this carefully!"

"Tech's right," you agree, "We can't afford to be brought down too soon. We've got to give it everything we've got once we're actually in front of Nega."

Knuckles gives off a small grunt, but he seems to agree with you. Janae shoots you a dirty look.

"Thank you, Sonic," Tech smiles, looking relieved, "Come on, everyone. I know exactly how we can get into the lab." He taps at his wrist device a few times, and a hologram of a floorplan pops up. "This is us, right next to the lab," he points to a small spec that's located next to a large, rectangular shape, "And this large, rectangular shape, as you can probably guess, is the lab. You see these small lines that just about border the inner walls, though? Those are the vents… And there are four corners we can reach."

"So we just reach the lab by crawling through the vents?" asks Tails.

Shade narrows her eyes. "It couldn't be that easy…"

"That's because it isn't," Tech replies, "The lab has a ventilation system, but no clear-cut entrance to get in it."

Janae grits her teeth. "Then WHY are you pointing all this out even?"

"Did you forget about the four corners I'm pointing at?" Tech says, "I have some mini-explosives I keep on me." From one of his small pouches attached to his belt, the wolf pulls out a pouch. He opens it to reveal marble-sized orbs. "If we take out those four corners, the entire ceiling of the lab should cave in, giving us the entrance we need."

"And we'll completely catch him by surprise," Knuckles clenches his fist and grins.

Tech nods. "But we have to work quickly. Once the orbs are activated, you have less than five seconds to clear away." He then looks over to you. "Sonic, I know you're a fast runner. But are you by chance a fast crawler?"

You cross your arms confidently. "You name it, I'm fast at it."

"Count me in," says Janae, "I may not have the legendary 'Sonic Speed', but I'm pretty fast too."

Tech dips his eyes downward. "I don't know, Janae," he says, "These are long vents. I'm not sure if you'd be quick enough to-"

"Look, don't you dare doubt me, okay?!" Janae snaps, "What, were we all planning on sitting around with our thumbs up our butts, waiting for the great Sonic the Hedgehog to appear out of nowhere and save us all?! I've been doing dangerous missions longer than you, Techno-nerd! If I tell you I can handle it, then I can handle it!"

"Back off, lady!" Knuckles grabs Janae by her rabbit ears and yanks her backwards, "You call yourself a team player?! You can't even work well with your own teammate! No wonder you're losing this war!"

"Shut your trap!" Janae shouts, shoving the echidna away, "You people can't just appear out of the sky and then take charge, okay?! You had your chance to save the world and you all left! So why don't you-"

"Stop arguing!" Shade shouts back, "You'll cause unwanted attention! And like it or not, this is ALL of our situation now! So play nicely!"

Tails casts a nervous glance towards you, and you recall your earlier conversation with him about why you were on Tech's team to begin with…

You let out a reluctant sigh and say, "Okay, Janae. Since I'm really not used to crawling on my hands and knees so much, maybe I could use your help."

Janae seems genuinely surprised at your answer, but quickly smirks in response. "Thought you'd see it my way."

Tech sighs as well. "All right, but you better be quick," he says as he digs out four orbs, and hands each of you two. "All you guys have to do is crawl halfway towards the furthest vent, throw the first orb at the corner, then quickly crawl back and towards the center. Then throw the last one behind you towards that initial corner, then get your butts back to safety!"

"Crawl, throw, crawl, throw," you give a simple shrug, "Seems easy enough."

"Good luck, you two," Tech smiles and nods.

"And be careful!" Tails calls over.

You flash the 'V' sign at your crew and turn to crawl out… only to see Janae is way ahead of you. You never thought you'd say this… "Hey, wait up!"

You quickly make your way towards the lab vents, hoping Janae doesn't do anything stupid along the way… You reach the end, which would only allow you to go left and right. Just great… Which way did Janae go? As much as you dislike her, you don't really want her blown up…

"Janae?" you call out in a harsh whisper. No response. You raise your voice slightly. "Janae!"

You think you hear a small shuffle to your right. As you turn your head to see, you're suddenly met with an electric, metal pole clanking hard against your head.

"Uuunnnghh…" You mutter as your field of vision slowly comes back to you.

"That's what they all say when I conk 'em out," you hear Janae's voice.

You shake your head, trying to clear out the cobwebs, only to make your headache slightly worse. You finally observe your surroundings, and notice you're no longer in the vents, but in the hallways of the building. How'd you get out here? And what just happened?

You also notice you're being dragged. You look down on yourself and see your legs from ankles to knees are bound by a grappling rope, and you feel your arms and wrists have been bound by well. You're being dragged by the rope on your wrists. You look up to see Janae is the one dragging you down the hallway.

"Wh… what are you doing?!" you cry out.

Janae glares down at you fiercely. "What YOU did to me," she growls, "Betrayal… Backstabbing…"

"What are you talking about..?"

"Oh what, did you forget about what you said to your little friend earlier?" Janae sneers, "Don't think I didn't overhear what you two were saying. I happen to have long ears, y'know…" She narrows her eyes at you, "You think so low of me that I'd actually do something stupid and get everyone killed… After all, why else would I be on Tech's loser team and not on the kick-robot-butt team?"

"Well, you did knock me out and are planning to do something bad to me," you retort.

"So what if I want to get close to Nega?!" Janae snaps, "Is it so bad to want to get back at him and stop the Eggman Empire once and for all?! So that I could live up to my ancestor?! I don't need you coming out of nowhere and dampening my legacy!"

"YOUR legacy?" you snap back, "Is that what this is all about? YOU?! You don't care about saving the world or helping people, you just want to be the big hot shot! Newsflash, kiddo… I KNEW the original Cream. She's NOTHING like you are now. In fact, if anything, she'd be ashamed of you!"

Janae drops you and quickly kicks you in the gut. If you weren't weak before, this really stuns your body with pain.

"Shut your mouth!" she hisses, "You think YOU'RE any better?! There were TEAMS of people against the original Eggman… and yet YOUR name stands out the most! How many people were really part of the fight, Sonic? Or do you not know because all you care about was yourself and making sure YOU got all the glory and credit?!"

"I… I never took all the credit…" you moan, trying to get some air in, "… I couldn't have saved the world without my friends…"

"Bull!" Janae shouts, pulling you up to what looked like a drop-box. "How many of your so-called friends had their own video games? Cartoons? Comics? You don't have any right to claim 'teamwork' or sportsmanship when you're basking in ALL the glory. I bet deep down, you're actually a coward that hides while everyone does all the work, yet you take all the credit."

She smirks as she opens the drop-box. "That's what it's going to like in this scenario. You can't stand the idea of more than one person other than you coming out on top, so you went gung-ho and took off, only to get yourself killed. Then the world will TRULY see who Sonic the Hedgehog really is!"

"Janae, that's exactly what you are!" you cry, "Get a hold of yourself!"

The rabbit hoists you up and slings you into the drop-box. "Sorry, buddy," she grunts, "But you're not my hero. Not now, not ever."

She shoves you down and tightly shuts the drop-after you, as you fall several floors down a chute. It's dark and you have no idea what you're heading for or what's below you…

Fortunately, you're in a position where you could tuck your legs and arms in, and curl into spin-mode. It's an excessively long drop, but once you finally hit bottom, you're able to shield yourself from any major damage.

You slowly unroll yourself and glance around your surroundings. You're in a dark, large room. Machines and robots are everywhere. You can't see them very well, but you can clearly hear their gears grinding. The only light source is far off on the other side of the long room. There are a few monitors online, which reflect off the bustling robots. You don't know what they're doing, but whatever it is, they're more focused on their tasks than they are on you.

You look down on what you've landed on. It appears to be a hill of old machine parts, as well as various types of nuts and bolts. You figured what you just went through was a chute for scrapheap to be dumped down to… whatever this room is.

Looking back to the other side, you try to make out more of the limited light source. There's more than just the computer screens… You squint, and make out what appears to be capsules, and undistinguishable, colorful floating beings inside them.

Are those Wisps..?

You think back to Oydax, and recall the fact that he was not a real robot, but a wisp trapped inside the body of a Badnik…

You look around some more. The piles of scrap heaps consisted of various robot parts. The machines loudly pumped pistons, and conveyor belts carried parts from one machine to another.

Another nearby machine roared to life, as lights flashed brightly, and steam was let loose. After a while, it calmed down, and a new robot was released from a hatch. It was all too similar to what Oydax looked like, only bigger and much more frightening looking.

However, it only took a few steps before it fell over.

"OBJECT-F105-T. FAILURE. PROCEED-WITH-NEXT-SPECIMEN."

A few robots turned and made their way towards the scrap heaps. You quickly roll backwards, limbs still bound, and hide behind the heap. The robots don't come too close, fortunately, and bundle up miscellaneous parts from another pile before turning and making their way to another machine. Another robot approaches the capsules with the Wisps. They all huddle close together, shaking uncontrollably.

You can only imagine what sick things go on in here….

"Psssst!"

"Huh?" you turn around, swearing you thought you heard someone calling to you.

In the darkness, you're able to make out a long cell against the wall. You see what looks like an older, female hedgehog standing by the bars, along with many other prisoners behind her.

"How did you get down here..?" she whispers to you, "How'd you manage not to get caught?"

You go to approach her, but nearly trip. You had completely forgotten about your legs still tied up… "I'd like to help you guys…" you mutter, "But, do you think you can help me first?"

The hedgehog spots something behind you and nods. "Give me that thing," she points at the heap, "That sharp looking thing… I'll cut you free…"

You look back, then grab what was once the edge of a sheet metal, and carefully hand it over to the woman. You then turn completely around, and allow her to saw off the grappling rope Janae tied your wrists and ankles with. Once it's off, you turn and face the prisoners once more. "What the heck IS this place?" you quietly ask.

"They call it Eggman Nega's secret lab," the woman replies.

"This place?" you almost cry out loud, "This is the secret lab?"

The prisoners nod. "They had most of us down here for years," another prisoner replies, "I've been here for almost twenty years… but others, they aren't even here for a day before they're used as test subjects."

"Test subjects..?"

The woman looks away. "It's horrible," she mews, "Nega is always looking for new ways to create a perfect robot army... He doesn't care who gets killed in the process…"

"Although sometimes…" a third prisoner speaks up, "Those screams I hear when they get roboticized… Perhaps death is a better option…"

You blink. "Roboticized..?"

"Nega isn't just looking for living batteries for his Badniks… He goes so far as to turn actual, living flesh and blood into cold, steel metal…"

You shake your fist in rage. Even Eggman himself never stooped this low. Eggman Nega just officially gained a new enemy in this fight…

"Please..!" the woman hedgehog pleads, suddenly taking a hold of your hands, "So many of us… We have families. We miss them… We don't want to be down here anymore. I want to see my son again! I know he's alive, somewhere, somehow… You made it here without detection so far… You have to save us!"

You stare back at her, and the rest of the prisoners. You can't in good conscience leave all these people who clearly need rescuing behind. Every fiber inside you is screaming to save them all. Don't you DARE leave them behind, you jerk!

But then practicality sets in. You've had your head smacked hard by a metal rod- an ELECTRIC metal rod! And you were thrown down a long chute and landed in a pile of hard, sharp metal. Not to mention you can barely see what's in front of you… AND the room is filled with massive robots that you alone would be no match for…

Plus, your teammates are still upstairs, and they need your help, ESPECIALLY with that lunatic Janae running alongside them…

"I'm sorry, everyone," you reply sadly, "But I'm in bad shape right now… and I'll be no match for all those robots. I'm not in any condition to save anybody at the moment."

One of the prisoners scowls. "So you're just going to leave us here to suffer and die?!"

"No!" you cry, "I am NOT abandoning anybody. But if I try something now, I'm just going to make things worse…" You take hold of the female hedgehog's hands, "Once I get back upstairs, I'll let the Resistance know you're all here. I'll come back for you… We'll ALL come back for you." You smile, "I promise."

The prisoners look at each other, unsure and worried. The female hedgehog, however, smiles with hope. "I believe you…" she says, "You remind me of my son. Brave, but cautious… though still optimistic. And has a strong sense of justice. If you say you'll come back, then I trust you."

"If Serena trusts you, I guess I will too," says another.

"Me too."

Soon the entire cell gives you a trustful nod. You nod back. "Thanks." You look around the room. "So… First off, any idea how I can get out of here?"

A prisoner points towards your right. "All the way at the end is the elevator. Aside from the chutes, it's the only way inside this lab."

"But be careful," Serena tells you, "The elevator is coded with an alarm system. You can get in it, but you need a code to get out. Otherwise, you set off the sirens."

You nod. "I was with the Resistance's top tech guy," you assure, "I think I might know my way around."

"Quick," Serena orders, "Hide behind the pile again… We'll attract enough attention to keep the robots distracted, while you make your way to the elevator."

You do as you're told, and hide behind the scrap heap. You hear the prisoners talk amongst each other, which grows louder, and louder, until it sounds like an all-out brawl. The cells clatter, and the door jiggles.

"Help!" Serena cries towards the robots, "It's becoming a madhouse all the sudden! They're going insane here!"

The robots stop what they're doing and make their way to the cell door. You carefully duck out of view as they call attention to the crazed prisoners, and get them to quiet down. With their backs to you, you quickly rush to the end of the room where the elevator is. You open the door, jump in, and the door closes on you. Made it without detection…

You remember Tech saying the Experiment Lab was all the way on the top, so you hit the highest number listed. The elevator lifts you upwards. Fortunately, no other robots board, so you're able to ride all the way to the top floor. But once you make it, you have to figure out a way to get out… Serena had mentioned about not being able to get out without a code… Was there a trap door above perhaps? Or wait until another Badnik opens the elevator to get on?

You don't have to decide an option, however… The elevator car shudders violently, knocking the doors slightly off track. You're able to push them open, and are greeted to a sight of the lab having been burst open. There are no guards; they're busy defending Nega inside. You rush towards the lab, which has nearly been obliterated. Scattered robot parts lay everywhere, and the inside of the lab shows signs of a massive battle. You had certainly missed out on an incredible battle here…

You look around and take in what had happened. Janae is lying unconscious on one side of the lab. Rouge is nearby, defending her from robots. Tech is on the other side near a control console, but he is frozen with fear, staring ahead at the situation.

You look over, seeing Knuckles and Shade, both standing in front of a freed Master Emerald, but both their fists clenched, facing off against Eggman Nega. You then look over to Nega, and your stomach drops.

Behind Nega stand two large robots, both with blades coming out of their fists. One is holding up Tails, and the other has its blade dangerously close to his throat.

"If you want your friend to live," Nega sneers, "You will give back that Master Emerald..!"

You don't even give Knuckles a second to think it over. You are already engulfed in rage. In a blind fury, you suddenly charge forward at the bot holding Tails, spinning into its chest and destroying it in pieces. The other robot raises its blade, but you slam your body against it as hard as you can, managing to knock it over, but not destroy it. Shade rushes in to finish the job, as you turn to Nega furiously. He looks like he's about to run, but you're already on top of him, grabbing his collar and slamming your fist in his face.

"You sick freak!" you scream, "All those things you do to those people below… and to those wisps! And now you tried to kill Tails?! NOW it's personal!" You can't seem to stop yourself from completely wailing on him, "One way or another, I am stopping you in the worst way possib- GYAAAAHHH!"

Eggman Nega had somehow managed to activate an emergency electric shock mechanism from his seat. It strikes you hard, and after all you had gone through earlier, you conk out.

Continue to Part 3B, Chapter _